3.5 stars because it's Jojo Moyes.

A quarter of the way in I wanted to put it down, and regretted picking it up thinking I should have just left well enough alone (sequels almost always disappoint).

The book started to redeem itself, but let's be clear -- it's no "Me Before You" (though perhaps it's unfair to Moyes to expect it to be). Be prepared to suspend belief in reality for this one. ( )

Braced for impact because of the negative reviews. Was pleasantly surprised. Yes, Louisa can be a bit frustrating - she's marooned by grief and terrified to leave the pathetic safety net she's built around herself. But, the book is funny and the characters are interesting and I liked the ending enough to want to know what happens next. ( )

Enjoyed reading what happened next for Louisa after the death of her paraplegic love. ( )

This is the sequel to Me Before You. It picks up roughly 6 months after the book ends. Louisa had been traveling and returned to London. She is working in an airport bar pretty much hating the job. She meets Sam, an ambulance worker at the same time that someone from Will's past comes into her life. The book goes through Lou and the tentative beginnings of a relationship with Sam, dealing with some unexpected family issues in addition to this person from Will's past and all the feelings that dredges up. Very well written. ( )

Great book! I love this author. ( )

How does Jojo Moyes do it?? How does she make me cry and laugh within pages of another? How does she make me care so much about each of her characters?

I thought this was such a stupendous sequel to "Me Before You"- I was so excited to see what Louise would be doing next, and how she carried forwards in her new life. Louise's character development continues to be one of my favorite character arcs; I think it might have been stronger in this novel than even "Me Before You".

Also, I'm SO HAPPY that Moyes continued to include such strong family elements and themes in this series. They remain one of the most endearing and entertaining aspects.

Ugh, Moyes is just too good! Loved this. ( )

This follows on directly from the previous book. Louisa is trying to cope with her loss and is working in an airport bar. After a freak accident she reconnects with her family and tries to change her life

Sadly this book promised much but didn't deliver. It's a very mediocre read and not what you'd expect after the first book.

Her relationship with the young girl who comes into her life is just silly

I won't be bothering to read the third book. ( )

KIRKUS REVIEWMoyes? sequel to her bestselling Me Before You (2012)�which was about Louisa, a young caregiver who falls in love with her quadriplegic charge, Will, and then loses him when he chooses suicide over a life of constant pain¥examines the effects of a loved one?s death on those left behind to mourn.It's been 18 months since Will?s death, and Louisa is still grieving. She's settled in a London flat purchased with money Will left her and taken a dreary waitressing job at an airport pub. After falling off her apartment roof terrace in a drunken state, she momentarily fears she?ll end up paralyzed herself, but Sam, the paramedic who treats her, does a great job¥and she's lucky. Louisa convalesces in the bosom of her family in the village of Stortfold, and Moyes is at her most charming here, writing with a sense of humorous affection about family dynamics among working-class Brits. When Louisa returns to London, a troubled 16-year-old named Lily turns up on her doorstep saying Will was her father though he never knew it because her mother thought he was "a selfish arsehole" and never told him she was pregnant. Louisa also joins a formulaically familiar support group that adds little to the story except as a device for her to reconnect cute with paramedic Sam, who stops by to pick up a group member Louisa assumes is his son. While developing wonderfully nuanced characters like Will?s grieving parents¥particularly his mother, who forms a surprisingly deep bond with Lily¥Moyes weakens the novel with stock villains like Lily?s narcissistic upper-middle-class mom. As the love interest, handsome, patient, sensitive Sam is too good to be true. Narrator Louisa is not quite as much fun this time around, but the optimistic final pages hint that her adventures may continue into another book.Moyes is a Maeve Binchy for the 21st century, and she has the formula down pat: an understanding of family dynamics, a nod to social issues, plenty of moral uplift, and a sentimental streak, all buoyed by a rollicking sense of humor.

It took awhile for me to warm up to this one mostly because I couldn't remember too many details about Me Before You but once I did, I really loved this.

Super readable (couldn't put it down and stayed up long past my bedtime) and great characters. ( )

I loved this book. Moyes is such a gifted writer. You definitely want to read Me Before You before you read this one, since After You is a sequel to that. Also, you’ll want to read Me Before You before you read the rest of my review, since I’m about to give away the ending to that book.

You have been warned.

After You begins with Louisa still in mourning eighteen months after the death of Will, a man she loved dearly. She works at a horrible job and attends a group to deal with loss, but it takes meeting Lily and paramedic Sam and several trials and tribulations with their lives, her family member’s lives, and her own life to begin to move Louisa forward. This book, like Me Before You, has romantic elements, but unlike some romance novels, you definitely can’t figure out how the hero and heroine’s story will conclude—how they will overcome obstacles and either get together or not—until the very end.

Though this deals with the difficult topic of grief and loss, like Moyes’ other books, there are several humorous, chuckle-inducing moments as well as parts of the book that brought tears to my eyes. I couldn’t more highly recommend this book. ( )

Like all second books you're just excited to be with your favorite characters again, this was a unique way of extending the story but of course had it's cheesey bits, overall it was a good look at Louisa carrying on the best way she could and a reminder of the different ways we process death. ( )

this book was nothing like i thought it would be, but not in a bad way. i enjoyed it, it had a lot of highs and lows and some moments felt a little whiplashy. i liked sam much better than will. a good quick read. ( )

Another great book by this author. I've been waiting to read this to see how Lou's life progressed (or failed to progress) after ME BEFORE YOU - one of my all-time favorite books.
I loved the book, loved Lou's humor, but still didn't love this book quite as much as ME BEFORE YOU. ( )

review to come ( )

I didn't love this sequel to Me Before You. Louisa is back to where she began grieving the loss of Will. Everyone is a mess, and then she meets someone more messed up than she is and wants to rescue them. There is too much graphic language and uncomfortable incidents. She is trying to make better choices and has a big opportunity offered to her. I did like the realism of her grief group. ( )

One or two giggles. Not as powerful as Me Before You. ( )

This was a solid story but I really expected to love it as much as Me Before You and I did not. I still love Lou though. ( )

I got about 100 pages into this book and quit. Clearly telegraphed ending and irritating and cheap "plot twist" leave little to recommend. Me Before You was great as a standalone novel--no Hollywood sequel required. ( )

Just....meh. I love the first book. Actually cried on a plane reading the ending. This one just didn’t hold a candle to that story. It felt a bit disjointed and all over the place. Maybe it was supposed to “feel” like that since Louisa’s life is pretty much disjointed and all over the place. Hopefully the 3rd book in the series will be better. ( )

Jojo Moyes has written at the beginning of this book that she doesn't want anyone writing a review to spoil what happens in Me Before you, the first book in the series. And, I fully understand that. So that left me with a choice to either write a review that more or less didn't bring up anything that happens in this book that could spoil the first book or spoiler tag the whole review. I have chosen to write a review that doesn't spoil the book.

First of all, do I want to say that you need to read the first book; do not attempt to read this book without having read the first book. Some books are standalone, some aren't.   This one should without a doubt be read after Me Before you.

The book is wonderful. I had no idea about the story before I read the book. No clues about what would happen and that was a real treat not knowing how or if Moyes would be able to write a book as gripping as Me Before You. She has! I had to fight back tears several times when I read this book, and I pride myself on not being a crier. Lou Clark is such a wonderful character and I loved getting to read about her and her family and friends in another book.

I loved this book. It was such a treat to get a sequel to Me Before You. And, I hope for a third book!

I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review! Thank you

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Update 3/9 2015: Approved! I'm amazed, not only that I got the book from NetGalley, but also that it only took a day or two to get approved...



--------------------------------------------

Jojo Moyes After You is now on NetGalley



But you can't request the title yet...



So now I have to wait for it to be available to request...

( )

I really liked this book. The dynamics of the family are great and it explains things that happened in the first book in a way that isn't tedious. ( )

Plodding. I did not feel invested in the characters or the stories. I wish Me Before You had stayed as a standalone book; I don't feel like this sequel could stand up to it. ( )

I was a little disappointed in the beginning in how the inheritance was handled along with a couple of other things, and Lilly was a little to hard to believe at times, but I did enjoy this book, and am glad Moyes was talked into writing a sequel. ( )

It was meh for me nothing special really! ( )

This book reminds me of the internet meme: "Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is you're stupid and make bad decisions." ( )